The Indian businessman attempting to take control of Blackburn Rovers has promised the manager £100m to spend on players should his £300m offer for the club be accepted. Ahsan Ali Syed's representatives opened talks with the Ewood Park club yesterday and the 36-year-old was reported to have made a promise of a huge transfer budget. "I want to give him support financially so that he can perform wonders," said Syed.

His comments came as a team from his company Western Gulf Advisory arrived in Lancashire yesterday with the aim of fixing a four-week negotiation period. The Indian, who lives in Bahrain, is the heir to a £5bn fortune and Syed said he wants to buy Blackburn because of his "passion" for the club and is not merely seeking to make a quick return on his investment.

"For me the investment in Blackburn is more of a passion than a way to make a quick return on the balance sheet," he said. "I am not investing to make a return in two years and walk away. I am coming in as a fan to invest in the long term."

Syed said that his first move on taking over would be to hand Allardyce the kind of funds that would ensure Blackburn's place in the Premier League. "As part of our first five-year investment we will make £80m-£100m available to the manager. He has done a fantastic job for the club with constrained resources but I am sure that if he is given a free hand with the resources we can provide then Big Sam has the potential to do wonders."

Syed faces a rival bid for Rovers from Saurin Shah, who claims he will submit an offer this week, and he has yet to contact the Premier League about his takeover but said: "All my investments are out in the open but I will submit myself to whatever the Premier League requires of me."